Unknown by many people at Costa Mesa High School, Mr. Bell has donated in total 600 dollars to Make-A-Wish this year; all six hundred of those dollars were raised with the help of students. Earlier this year, a Make-A-Wish member came to Mr. Bell, a chemistry teacher at CMHS, asking him if he would like to support the Make-A-Wish club by buying a lollipop. He then responded by saying if there was any other way to help so he took all the boxes that he could from Make-A-Wish and then he sold every single one of them. He saw an opportunity to help the Make-A-Wish kids in their fundraising attempt and wanted to do his part.

He then had the idea of selling snacks to students within the confines of his classroom in order to donate every single dollar that he raised to Make-A-Wish. He bought multiple snacks from stores and would then sell them in bulk to children in order to get them to eat something so that not only would they pay more attention in class, but so that he would be able to give a large amount of money to Make-A-Wish. According to him, the students were really supportive, and since they knew it was for a good cause, there would be instances where people would just come in to donate money for the sake of donating. While it may have started where only his students helped, the time came when there would be students from all around the school coming in to help him raise money for Make-A-Wish. By the end of a few weeks he had made 500 dollars and decided to stop and give Make-A-Wish the money before spring break.

During the whole period of selling, Mr. Bell abided by the rules in order to not detriment any other club’s attempt to raise funds. Even though he was sure that his cause was just, he also would have stopped had any administrator or teacher come to talk to him about it.

Thanks to Mr. Bell, the Make-A-Wish club has raised 8000 dollars this year for children with life threatening diseases. Mr. Bell had this to say about Make-A-Wish, ”I can’t think of a more worthy cause, what makes Make-A-Wish is spirit. They are all the best kids with the best hearts.” He says that he will try to do the same thing next year for the same goal.

You may have heard of a student who roams the CMHS campus wearing all manner of outlandish costumes. You may even have been able to witness this student’s, costumes in person.

This student’s name is Joseph Rouintree, and he is a senior at Mesa. He is indeed best known for wide collection of costumes and costume accessories, which includes a lab coat (complete with “Aperture Laboratories” sticker, a Portal reference), a black robe, a small plush koala, a beard, and a top hat with a clock attached to the front.

Joseph’s odd collection has garnered some attention over the years. In fact, he has been stopped by Mesa security personnel a number of times, two of which were for carrying around an umbrella that looks like an iconic sword from the manga series Bleach.

Joseph has also made a name for himself as a costume designer, in addition to his purchased pieces. In a previous year, he created a costume that he described as a “zombie hockey player”, while last Halloween, he came to school dressed as a robot. Rouintree had spent more than two months on this project; the final costume made him considerably taller and slower, as the feet of the robot were very heavy and large. According to him, the costume consisted of foam, metal, wood, nails, paint, velcro, copious amounts of ductape, and hockey gloves.Rouintree’s interests go beyond costumes and into a variety of others as well, including games, Magic: the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons (the tabletop game), art, and writing. Of these, Rouintree cautiously stated that he was most devoted and interested in writing. His interest in the area began at an early age, as his idea for his character, “Zanmato” has been developed over time since 4th grade. The character has now found a place in Joseph’s story on the Pegasus, which now has three chapters. A number of his drawings have found their way to the Pegasus as well, while his own comic strip can be found on the Equestrian.

Joseph’s artistic interests can be traced back to his father, who initially introduced him to comics and manga. Joseph has described him as a “great dad,” who is “always being a friend to us [he, his brother, and his sister], as well as being a father.”

Joseph describes himself as “a dreamer, both as an artist and a person.”

“I enjoy that I am able to express the constantly growing ideas that I come up with. …I am always looking for new ideas and concepts, and daydreaming is something I partake in every day.”

Joseph intends to continue to foster his love of art and writing at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he will be enrolled next year. He will be attending the manga creating class there, as well as improving his skills in the other courses the school has to offer. Rouintree has also stated that he will pursue a career as a manga artist and writer in the future. He has a few ideas lined up for manga he hopes to write, one of which is a comedy and the other a more serious plot involving parallel worlds.

As an artist and writer, he hopes to “inspire others to create, just as I was inspired to create.”

Henry Torres seems like just a typical senior at CMHS. He likes to skateboard, bike around Costa Mesa wearing his Dora the Explorer backpack and recognizable baseball caps, and eat food. However, once one sits down for a chat with Henry, they will notice how his hands motions are rhythmic; how he can’t keep his fingers still. He knocks on classroom doors in rhythm, and he taps out his drum rudiments incessantly while concentrating on a difficult Trigonometry lesson.

The drum captain for the CMHS Marching Band and Drumline, Henry loves the challenge of drumming.

“I like how it’s very hard to understand. Some people think it’s an easy thing, just hitting drumsticks on drums. You got to learn the rudiments, the rhythm, the beat, the inside metronome. It’s amazing.”

His passion for drumming was first introduced to him by his mother when he was eight years old.

“She bought me this little sucky drum toy. It didn’t even have real sticks, they were plastic. But it was fun! So much fun…”

Originally wanting to play the bass guitar, Henry was put in the percussion section by Mrs. Gilboe. As a freshman, Henry joined the marching band along with his friends and started out playing bass drum in the battery, eventually progressing to snare.

“I love snare. It has a high pitched sound… It’s more manlier.”

His family has been very supportive of his decision to drum. The only son out of three children, Henry feels very loved within his family. Initially, there was conflict between his sport obsessed father and himself over Henry’s disinterest in joining sports.

“My Dad’s very hardcore and sporty. I like music and film and anything that doesn’t relate to sports.”

But Henry feels that he has made his father into a more musical person.

His senior year has been everything he hoped for. He went to Homecoming, kept up his grades, and had great seasons in both Marching Band and Drumline. He made drum captain, and allowed the entire percussion section in the CMHS Band to bond and love each other.

“Bonding’s more important than playing the music. If you know how to bond, you listen to each other and the music is instant,” Henry commented.

Henry also joined the KMESA News team this year, to help gain an understanding of the world of film he is interested in. Having grown up watching chick flicks with his sisters, describing the movies as “emotional” and a way to see his sisters cry, Henry loves “being backstage, getting everything together to make this creative world that people would want to watch.” Starting out making small videos for his YouTube channel, he is obsessed with making the “best movie ever” as the best director ever.

Henry plans on going to OCC next year to study film and possibly join a drum corps. After, he hopes to transfer to USC. Although he was at first torn apart between music and film, thanks to his drum instructor Chase Kellis, Henry realizes that film is his true calling.

“I’m tired of high school. I have no regrets.” He is excited to meet different people, learn about film, and choosing what time to have class.

“I love making movies and thinking about movies… I would leave anything for film and drumming.”

With AP season nearing its end, it pays to reflect on what we have been through. We AP students have spent the better part of a year learning (or attempting to learn) material for a course whose level of difficulty is much higher than the average college prep class. And we should be proud of ourselves, because whether we pass the test or not, we’ve been relatively diligent for the whole year, and we deserve our well-earned relaxation period after testing.

I do not intend to dispute the merit of what other AP students like me have been through. My intention is to dispute a point of view that seems somewhat popular among those who find the AP courses especially challenging. Many, if not most, of us have been told that the Advanced Placement program was meant to accurately simulate a college level course. Because of this view, I believe that many of us have been led to believe that our situation is much worse than it actually is. While the AP courses our school offers are indeed challenging, they cannot truly compare to a full-fledged college course.

The reason for this is that if a high school class was made as difficult as a college course, there would be very few, if any, students who could keep up. The average college student is enrolled in much fewer courses than a high school student per semester. And these classes often do not meet every day. As a result, the college student has much more time outside of school to devote to homework and studies. A professor can afford to cover much more material in every lecture, and assign considerably more homework and assignments. For a high school student, a college-style system of lectures and assignments would simply be incompatible with our six to seven classes, sports, and other extracurriculars.

In addition, grades themselves are often determined differently in AP and college courses. The average advanced placement course at Mesa consists of at least half “free” points, in the form of assigned work for which students get credit for completion. The most difficult part of the course, the tests, is often a relatively small part of the overall grade, so there is generally a good amount of room for mistakes. A well-known example of this is Mesa’s AP U.S. History course, in which more than half of the chapter quizzes count for extra credit points, and homework assignments and tests are weighted equally.

In contrast, a college course can often be much narrower in its point distribution. More than half of a course grade can be determined by scores on a small handful of tests, the rest by several hours of assignments every week, which are graded for accuracy, not just completion. Combine this with supplementary reading and what you get is a time commitment that far outweighs any high school course, even an advanced one. A student who can’t or won’t put in the time and effort simply will not do well.

Despite this however, the Advanced Placement program does serve its purpose very well, despite not entirely living up to its claims. While it may not be at the same level as college courses, it does do an excellent job of preparing students for the challenges of a future in a four-year university. With AP courses, we are taught the value of responsibility and hard work, both of which are directly applicable to all areas of life.

Mother's Day, the day where every person in the nation has a chance to appreciate their mother figure in life and dazzle her with many gifts, is finally here. It is a very special day in which the individual can show their love for their mother through many things that make her feel loved and appreciated.

Even though there are many varieties of gifts one could get their mom for Mother's Day, there are those that tend to get gifts that are classified as average and ordinary. Such gifts that might fit this description would be flowers, chocolate, and store-bought Mother's Day cards. There are plenty of things that people could get for Mother's Day without resorting to such trivial things as a Mother's Day card. Gifts that the individual could get for his/her mother could be an assortment of jewelry or if she is the feminine sort, even a fancy bottle of perfume that you know she would enjoy.

Cooking for your mom might be an even better idea for it is a gift that is personally made by someone she loves and also costs nothing to make. Cook up a nice cuisine that you know your mom would enjoy and make her feel like she is an important person. Personal gifts are the best way to better the bonds between you and your mom, and should be a gift that almost everyone should consider.

Regardless of the originality (or lack thereof) of getting your mom things such as those listed above, it actually does not matter whether or not you get your mom something "average". As the saying goes, it is the thought that counts, and because of this, getting your mom something as mere as a flower may be worth more to her than you realize. "I'm going to take her out to eat, maybe do all the housework for her," said Alice Vu, "probably get her a home-made card or something."

There is without a doubt that most people would claim that their mother holds a place in their heart and is one of the most precious individuals in their life. Michael Ungeheier, senior at Costa Mesa High School, wishes to do something special for his mom and make it memorable for her. "I'm going to get her flowers, chocolates, give her a hug, and a kiss on the cheek," stated Michael. Hugs and kisses may not have any value compared to jewelry or perfume, but it is something that is treasured by the receiver. If you treasure that bond between you and your mom, when Mother's Day its, get her something that she would appreciate; taker her out to eat, or just give her a big hug and say "Happy Mother's Day!”

It was on Wednesday that a friend of mine came to me speaking of how she was going to enjoy partaking in the reshow of the movie known as Titanic.

I asked her why she was paying to see a movie she had already seen, to which she replied: “But this is in 3D.”

In a vain attempt to make her realize that when a movie is shown in 3D it is most likely just a chance by the movie cinema to make you discharge you money towards their way. You think that most people would realize this, yet they don’t. While I hope readers know what I’m talking about, if you don’t, then, I hope that you would care to understand why I think you shouldn’t waste 8 to 12 dollars. In the case of a movies showing in Los Angeles for 15 dollars, why watch what you have probably watched multiple times for the sake of 3D?

Recently the industry has been one filled with multiple examples of this money grabbing attempt including three Disney movies (counting the upcoming release of Finding Nemo in 3D, an entire rerun of Star Wars Episode One (although in a few places there has been entire reruns of the entire saga in 3D for an extra cost), and now even Titanic has shown itself to be a part of the rerun group.

As great as some of these movies may be there is a small chance that being shown in 3D will improve them, due to the inability of these movies to have any scenes capable of being magnificent with 3D. Let’s face it, is it really better where some of these movies have characters just running around or laughing, paying unnecessary money to see it in bulky 3D glasses.

In my opinion, Star Wars is the only set of movies that is improved with 3D, but any other movie just fall short of a huge improvement due to the fact that they weren’t filmed to be in 3D.

When we attend high school events like class dinners, dances, and rallies, we pay more attention to how much fun we'll have rather than the people who put time and effort into making such events possible for us. We pay even less attention to the person who oversees those people: the ASB president.

Courtney Hatch, our newly elected ASB president, took the time to share with The Equestrian what Costa Mesa High School means to her, and what it takes to lead an entire student body.

Going into the election, Hatch "felt really nervous" since Eddy Villegas, her opponent, exuded so much confidence. But after her victory, Hatch said "I felt so happy, and relieved. It was very stressful for me."

Villegas, on the other hand, went into the election feeling, "excited and positive". Although feeling discouraged after his loss, Villegas still made a show of good sportsmanship by saying, “I know that if I could choose anyone from ASB, it would be her."

Like any other year, the students of CMHS are excited to see changes brought about by the newly elected officials of ASB. Although vague promises were made in the speeches of many, Hatch gave the scoop on her plans on changing things around Mesa. Some of her goals are to get more people involved with the school and create class unity from class events. She plans on doing this by publicizing dances more effectively, conduct more polls and surveys, and having more creative class events.

Hatch also talks about what it means to be a leader, and how she views herself as such. Many people are probably not aware as to what exactly the ASB president does, but according to Hatch, she has the responsibility of publicity, taking order, and basically keeping everyone working towards ASB's goals.

Aside from having red-hot tiger blood coursing through her veins, Hatch discusses her various strengths as a leader: "I'm really responsible, a strong leader…dedicated not only to ASB [but Drama and Cheer], and I follow through with my plans." As with any leader, Hatch admits to her weaknesses: "Procrastination is a big one…laziness, too, sometimes. And I stress out a lot."

When asked about the impact of her popularity on the election, Hatch also admits that it was a factor to her win, but not the determining one. A much bigger factor was her love for CMHS. When asked why she wanted to run, Hatch replied by simply saying "I wanted to do it. I love [Costa Mesa High School], I'm always there!"

So there you have it, Mesa. It doesn't only take dedication to be the leader of a school, but a strong passion for it as well. Courtney Hatch, not only has both, but much more.

Many of you may hear the name Soldin and think of the government teacher who’s the USC fanatic, but what many people may not realize is that there is another Soldin on the campus, McKenzie Soldin, Mrs. Soldin’s daughter.

McKenzie came to Mesa this year from Norco High School, and so far she loves it here.

“There’s nothing that I dislike about this school. I like it a lot better. This school has a lot more school spirit and they’re a lot more together and accepting of each other.”

However, in the beginning, McKenzie had a hard time coming to Mesa because she didn’t know anybody.

“At first, I was mad because I have moved around a lot so when I settled in Norco and had my group of friends, I liked Mesa, but I didn’t want to leave my friends.”

One thing McKenzie struggles with is the perception that people have of her as Mrs. Soldin’s daughter as opposed to who she really is.

“I am her daughter, but I am my own person,” McKenzie said.

Being at Mesa, she has learned: “How to accept who I am and not care what people actually think of me and make a lot more friends and that changed me.”

This has worked to make her a stronger person.

“I know people who talk behind my back and I know stuff like that just comes with being a teacher’s daughter, so it’s just made me stronger.”

McKenzie admits, “It hurts because a lot of time I don’t do anything for them to talk about me or I don’t mean to. It’s not something I like to hear about, but I know it just happens.”

Mrs. Soldin agrees with McKenzie as well.

“I think it’s unfortunate because she is not me. She is somebody totally different. She’s got her own personality and her own way of doing things. I think she’s a great girl to know and so many students may enjoy or not enjoy my class because I’m an adult, I’m not a peer, and I may be tougher on students and allowing late work or not allowing late work and she doesn’t have anything to do with that, she’s just a student, a kid, like the rest of you guys and she shouldn’t be judged based on things that I do or don’t do.”

She also added, “It’s nice [for McKenzie to be at Mesa] because as a parent it allows me to be more on top of her education by making sure she’s enrolled in the right classes and doing what she’s supposed to be doing. It allows me to have great communication with the teachers, especially because I know them. And it’s easy for me to attend any of her activities because I know that they’re going on and when they’re going on. And when she was in Norco, it was quite far away from where I worked that I’d have to rush out of here and go watch her games. Then I wouldn’t be able to see some of my Mesa events and I really love watching my Mesa students, so it kind of combines the two so it’s the best of both worlds.”

McKenzie is involved with Mesa’s cheer and drama programs and hoped to next year join choir. Her two current interests are the things she is most passionate about at Mesa.

“They’re pretty much different sides of me. Cheer’s my more athletic side and drama’s my more artistic side.”

McKenzie hopes to “Get to know as many people as I can and talk to me. I know that might not be possible, but I just want a lot of people to get to know me as more than Mrs. Soldin’s daughter.”

When asked about her most favorite thing at Mesa she said, “My most favorite thing at Mesa would probably be homecoming because it topped last year’s homecoming because I got to dress up. Last year it was very casual so I wore jeans and a sweater.”

One thing McKenzie is looking forward is “Making more and better friends and being a part of Varsity Cheer and being a part of drama and hopefully be in choir next year. And just being more involved with the school.”